, 1887-05-12

pclnB you belonged 10 me, ana That na0 i
asked you to flee with me to the uttermost
Isles of the sea you would have consented,
without counting the cost. You thought
/ was grand and passionless, that as Gods
high priest 1 was beyond temptation. You
never knew what it, at least, cost me to
meet you and give you counsel, nor how
the sensual and earthly fought for supre-
macy over the spiritual in my soul. But
l wrestled and prayed, and the strength
came TO put passion under my feet. l
conquered. A light from the face of the
infinite shone upon me. / moved in calm,
clear air. l stood before my people and
looked into their upturned faces with a
new sympathy for their weakness. I bore
them on my heart in prayer, before the
throne, with added tenderness.
Il looked upon your face and thanked
God that you were safe from me, TINT i
had not trnnsgressed against you nor the
man who was once my friend. In the
midst of the calm the conspiracy against
me was revealed suddenly. 1 found my,
self the victim of a network Of circum-
stances, my fair fame dishonored, myself
dragged into the publicity of a court Of
law and made the subject Of rude jokes
and insulting caricature; and the testi-
mony of the woman whose honor l had
guarded as with my life was the central
link In the chain of damning evidence
against me-"
She knelt- there listening, with that ter
rible despair upon her face. "You-you
will live" she said, brokenly. 81 will go
to n lawyer. l will make a sworn state
ment. Your name shall yet be cleared"
"It is too Late" he said. SIT would not
undo the wrong. I ave needed the
discipline. I.shall soon know why it was
permitted"
A reaction was coming. She gave him
N IrotN~hf f-O,n "a auoLI1N 49, NhA N,h1a nrl
his eyes closed YEARLY. His lips moved.
She bent her head to listen to the words
he uttered.
Gods furnace flame around me quivers,
His breath upon the fire doth blow"
he was repeating with slow, deep emphasis
on the words. Then he slept.
She sat and watched him. His mind
seemed to wander back to the days when
he was the idol of his people. Fragments
OF hymns n sublime prophecies came to
his lips. Again he was the minister of
God, standing at the altar, distributing
the mystical emblems of Christ's death.
Again his hands were in benediction and
his lips moved in the words, MAY the
peace of God, which passeth understand
ing, keep you"
Then a change came. He was living
over the dark hours of his agony. The
veins stood out upon his forehead. His
head moved from side to side In mortal
anguish. His mighty frame shook with
the inner tempest. Again he was with
ing under the blow dealt him by the man
whom he had once trusted, but who had
been dominated by the demon of jealous
hatred, who had sworn to overthrow his
powerful rival and who had all too surely
succeeded. Again he stood in the pitiless
monday light of a court of law, with the
whole world as spectators. Again he
knelt under the skies and cried: "My
God, why hast Thou forsaken mey"
But his face did not mirror q more terri
BILE agony han did that Of the woman
who bent over him, and with trembling
hand wiped the drops from his forehead.
He woke and looked up into her face.
You suffer with me, p" he said, gently.
81 may come to you and help you to be
strong after | am free. Are they not all
ministering spirits?" His u%tterance seemed
less clear. IL nave had my last hour
of earthly agony" he said.
And now q strange awe crept over the
woman as she sat and watched the noble
face, for by the mystical change that
overshadowed it she knew that q Presence
had entered the room to claim his own,
not as the King of Terrors, but as an all
powerful deliverer, bringing to this long
tried spirit the crown of Immortality. His
face shone with the reflection of the com
AHo N@ " - mo NAAS NAASbb Adlllb u
monies, he turned his eyes upon Emily
with a last sweet smile, and without one
struggle his sou was free.
The news of the death of the great
preacher, whose sun had set in eclipse,
had scarcely flashed over the wires before
another strange piece Of intelligence fol-
lowed.
Sydney Fowler, who a month ago had
commenced a lecturing tour through the
NUagf hn1 ham found IN h9a Nlr ~ n
popular hotel with a pistol shot through
his brain. On the table were a number
of closely written pages of confession. He
had plotted the downfall of Gregory Ban
croft because he was jealous of his sue
cesses and honors, because he had out
stripped him in the race which they had
begun together. The news of his death
had overwhelmed him with remorse. He
now confessed the whole fiendish plot, the
confession of love he had forced from his
wife and her signature to the statement
he had written, while he knew and be-
lieved in the unspotted integrity of Greg
DRY Bancroft. Emily was forestalled. No
need now of her confession, which at best
would only have unsettled, not convinced,
the world.
Did the grand, sorely tried soul not
know, did he not hear from the morning
land of spirits, the overwhelming voice OF
sympathy and sorrow and indignation
that thrilled and throbbed around the
worlds Did he not rejoice that his name
was to be accounted blameless of the sin
laid to his charge, that history would
record him a martyr, that offerings of
flowers, lavish and costly, were heaped
upon his re;ting place in the city of the
dead, daily renewed, daily watered with
tears from bleeding hearts, reaching oyt
with dumb longing to kneel at his feet
and implore his pardon for the injustice
meted to him in thought and words
Did he sometimes come to the sad faced
woman who knelt with folded hands
nightly beside his grave, she to whom it
was appointed to live on and bear the bur
den of her sin, TO watch and wait and
suffer and hope for the end'
All, who hall solve for us the riddle of
this great mystery Of ~painf-Isabel Holmes